As explained in a previous article, working on a product instead of a project demands a totally different mindset, which often makes it difficult to discern and form a winning team.

At Software Planet, however, we strive to equip our team members with the knowledge they need at all times — and of course, in product development, this is certainly not an exception.

With this in mind, we would like to spell out the various qualities our company look for when putting together our specialised teams, so you too can know exactly what to expect when entrusting us with your valued products.

Good product teams…

On skills

Unlike low-performing teams, which hold meetings to reach agreement on a single prioritised roadmap, good product lineups are greatly skilled in a variety of useful techniques that are able to quickly evaluate a number of competing concepts in order to determine the very few that are actually worth pursuing.

Similarly, good teams ensure that the totality of their members’ skill set is more than sufficiently prepared to develop successful products. This may include some oft-overlooked capabilities such as the essential interaction design.

On customers

While bad teams obsess over competitors, good ones are rightly fixated on what their customers have to say. In this way, they are keenly aware of what each of their stakeholder represents, understanding their individual needs as well as the business constraints. This allows them to devise some highly efficient solutions that will work not just for end users, but also for the business itself.

Likewise, good product teams are unwaveringly committed to developing a partnership that can stand the test of time. This is evidenced by the regular meetings that they strive to attend with their clients, providing them with updates on all the latest happenings and ensuring that they remain on the right track and page.

Bad teams, on the other hand, not only are adamant about sticking to the status quo, but are constantly reneging on their responsibilities towards the customer.

On ideas

The best product teams are also not afraid of change. They often brainstorm and embrace new trains of thought while skilfully preserving budgets and protecting the customer’s brand.

In fact, these ideas are largely inspired by the very cause of their customer’s plight, as team members watch them struggle with their less-than-adequate systems and in response, do all that they can to develop palpable solutions.

On the product itself

Great teams may likewise be distinguished by their compelling product vision. This, they actively pursue with a relentless, spirited passion.
They know that rapid iteration is the pathway towards clear innovation and understand the benefit of a stream of steady updates. For this reason, they continuously integrate and release.

And finally, good product teams make extensive use of data analytics technologies to assess the various ways in which their products are being used and determine the steps to be taken should further adjustments be needed.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has served to give you some tangible insight into the key differences between better and worse product teams. At SPG, not only are we determined to honour all the qualities espoused above, but we are also in the business of pairing the right tools and developers with the right companies and tasks — so you can confidently trust that your product is safe here.